Road to the Kentucky Derby Schedule Announced

The $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (gr. I) Dec. 20 at Los Alamitos Race Course has been added to the list of races that comprise the 2014-15 "Road to the Kentucky Derby."

The series of 35 select races—19 "Prep Season" races, and 16 "Championship Series" races—is used to determine which horses qualify to the 141st running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 2, 2015 at Churchill Downs, if more than 20 horses are entered.

The 1 1/16-mile Los Alamitos Futurity, a race formerly known as the Hollywood (1981-2006) and CashCall (2007-13) Futurity at the now-shuttered Hollywood Park, will be run for the first time at Los Alamitos Race Course, home base of 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome. The race produced six Kentucky Derby winners during its run at Hollywood Park.

"The robust commitments by the team at Los Alamitos suggest a strong desire to be included in our series, and we're confident the race is likely to attract aspiring and compelling Derby prospects," said Churchill Downs racetrack president Kevin Flanery. "We're delighted to welcome the Los Alamitos Futurity to the Kentucky Derby 'Prep Season'."

Points awarded to the top four finishers in the Los Alamitos Futurity will be 10-4-2-1 as part of the "Prep Season" that showcases foundation-building races over a minimum of one mile between September and mid-February. It commences Sept. 6 at the home of the Derby with the $100,000 Iroquois (gr. III) at 1 1/16 miles.

The 16 events that comprise the "Kentucky Derby Championship Series" during the 10-week run-up to the first Saturday in May remain unchanged from a year ago.

This is the third consecutive year Churchill Downs will use a sliding scale of points awarded to the top four finishers in choice races to determine preference for its 20-horse Derby field. At least 20 horses have entered the 1 1/4-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds every year since 2004, and in 14 of the past 16 years.

In the first two years of the point system, the horses that topped the leaderboard with 150 points each won the Derby: Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable's Orb in 2013 and Steve Coburn and Perry Martin's California Chrome in 2014.

A similar series remains in place to qualify for the Derby's sister race, the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) for 3-year-old fillies May 1, 2015.

The lone change to the 31-race "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" series is the addition of the $350,000 Starlet Stakes (gr. I), a 1 1/16-mile "Prep Season" race scheduled for Dec. 13 at Los Alamitos. Like the Futurity, the Starlet also had been previously run at Hollywood Park.

2014-15 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY

35 Races (16 Championship Series Races)

Kentucky Derby Prep Season (20 races)

Date

Race

Track

Distance

1st (Points)

2nd (Points)

3rd (Points)

4th (Points)

Sept. 6

Iroquois

CD

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Sept. 27

FrontRunner

SA

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Oct. 4

Champagne

BEL

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

Oct. 4

Breeders’ Futurity

KEE

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Oct. 5

Grey

WO

1 1/16 Miles (S)

10

4

2

1

Nov. 1

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

SA

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Nov. 22

Delta Downs Jackpot

DED

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Nov. 29

Remsen

AQU

1 1/8 Miles

10

4

2

1

Nov. 29

Kentucky Jockey Club

CD

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

+Dec. 20

Los Alamitos Futurity

LRC

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 3

Jerome

AQU

1 Mile 70 Yards

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 10

Sham

SA

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 17

Lecomte

FG

1 Mile 70 Yards

10

4

2

1

Jan. 19

Smarty Jones

OP

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

Jan. 24

Holy Bull

GP

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 31

Withers

AQU

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Feb. 7

Robert B. Lewis

SA

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Feb. 14

El Camino Real Derby

GG

1 1/8 Miles (S)

10

4

2

1

Feb. 16

Southwest

OP

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Kentucky Derby Championship Series (16 races)

Date

Race

Track

Distance

1st (Points)

2nd (Points)

3rd (Points)

4th (Points)

Feb. 21

Fountain of Youth

GP

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*Feb. 21

Risen Star

FG

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*Feb. 28

Gotham

AQU

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*March 7

San Felipe

SA

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*March 7

Tampa Bay Derby

TAM

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

March 14

Rebel

OP

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*March 21

Spiral

TP

1 1/8 Miles (S)

50

20

10

5

22-Mar

Sunland Derby

SUN

1 1/8 Miles

50

20

10

5

28-Mar

UAE Derby

MEY

1 3/16 Miles (S)

100

40

20

10

28-Mar

Florida Derby

GP

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*March 28

Louisiana Derby

FG

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 4

Wood Memorial

AQU

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 4

Santa Anita Derby

SA

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 11

Blue Grass

KEE

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

11-Apr

Arkansas Derby

OP

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 18

Lexington

KEE

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

2014-15 Road to the Kentucky Derby Changes

Date

Race

Track

Distance

Top 4 Points

Change

Dec. 20

LRC

LRC

1 1/16 Miles

10-4-2-1

Added

* Race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on previous year’s placement. Schedule subject to change.

2014-15 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY OAKS

31 Races (14 Championship Series Races)

Kentucky Oaks Prep Season (17 races)

Date

Race

Track

Distance

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Sept. 6

Pocahontas

CD

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Sept. 27

Chandelier

SA

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Oct. 3

Alcibiades

KEE

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Oct. 4

Frizette

BEL

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

Oct. 5

Mazarine

WO

1 1/16 Miles (S)

10

4

2

1

Nov. 1

BC Juvenile Fillies

SA

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Nov. 22

Delta Downs Princess

DED

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

*Nov. 29

Demoiselle

AQU

1 1/8 Miles

10

4

2

1

Nov. 29

Golden Rod

CD

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

+Dec. 13

Starlet

LRC

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 3

Busanda

AQU

1 Mile 70 Yards

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 3

Santa Ynez

SA

6 ½ Furlongs

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 17

Silverbulletday

FG

1 Mile 70 Yards

10

4

2

1

Jan. 24

Forward Gal

GP

7 Furlongs

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 31

Busher

AQU

1 1/16 Miles

10

4

2

1

Jan. 31

Martha Washington

OP

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

*Jan. 31

Las Virgenes

SA

1 Mile

10

4

2

1

Kentucky Oaks Championship Series (14 races)

Date

Race

Track

Distance

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Feb. 21

Davona Dale

GP

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*Feb. 21

Rachel Alexandra

FG

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

Feb. 26

UAE Oaks

MEY

1 3/16 Miles (S)

50

20

10

5

*Feb. 28

Santa Ysabel

SA

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

7-Mar

Honeybee

OP

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

*March 21

Bourbonette Oaks

TP

1 Mile (S)

50

20

10

5

22-Mar

Sunland Park Oaks

SUN

1 1/16 Miles

50

20

10

5

28-Mar

Gulfstream Park Oaks

GP

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*March 28

Fair Grounds Oaks

FG

1 1/16 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 4

Santa Anita Oaks

SA

1 1/16 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 4

Gazelle

AQU

1 1/8 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 4

Ashland

KEE

1 1/16 Miles

100

40

20

10

4-Apr

Fantasy

OP

1 1/16 Miles

100

40

20

10

*April 12

Beaumont

KEE

7 Furlongs

10

4

2

1

2014-15 Road to the Kentucky Oaks Changes

Date

Race

Track

Distance

Top 4 Points

Change

Dec. 13

Starlet

LRC

1 1/16 Miles

10-4-2-1

Added

* Race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on previous year’s placement. Schedule subject to change.